Chapter 8
Mariku pressed Bakura against the wall, as he brought breakfast the next day.
"I should beat you so hard, not even your mother would recognize you," Mariku snapped.
"But you don't feel pain anymore, do you?" asked Bakura and tried to calm Mariku down with a smile.
It was true. Mariku felt like he was reborn. The wounds themselves weren't gone, but the pain was. He was able to move again without limitation.
Nevertheless, he didn't let go of Bakura. "I should beat you anyway."
"Oh come on, Mariku. We're friends."
Mariku let go of him. "How long will this last?"
"A few hours." Bakura smoothed his shirt. "So enjoy it while you can." He looked over Mariku's shoulder to Malik. "Looks like you had a wild night." He grinned and pointed to the torn pillow.
"Not as wild as yours" Mariku replied coolly.
Bakura's grin widened. "You heard us?" Mariku nodded and Bakura leaned forward, before he continued in a whisper: "Jealous? I'm sure you and Malik..." But Mariku interrupted him by pushing him against the wall again.
"Shut up or I'll break every bone in your body."
Bakura raised his eyebrows in surprise. Mariku's aggression seemed unnatural and it didn't slip his attention that Mariku's right eye twitched. Something wasn't right and Bakura suspected that it was due to his mixture. Well, he didn't expect there would be no side effects, but he had hoped so.
"Calm down, please." He spoke quietly to Mariku to not fuel his anger.
"Don't tell me what to do!" Mariku put more strength in his grip, which caused Bakura hit his head against the wall. Mariku's arm was shaking and his breathing had noticeably quickened.
Suddenly, Mariku let go of Bakura and buried his face in his hands. He took several deep breaths. The tremor subsided somewhat. "What's going on?" Mariku's voice sounded harsh and strained. He kept himself from yelling at Bakura. He felt unusually hot and he hadn't felt this much anger in a long time.
"A side effect probably." Bakura was already at the door. He was ready to run if Mariku should attack him again.
"Side effect?" Snarled Mariku. He clenched his hands into fists and Bakura took a step back. The door slid open.
"It'll go away, don't worry." He raised his hands. "I'm sure about that."
"Get out!"
Bakura did this happily.
Mariku leaned against the table. He had closed his eyes and took several deep breaths in the hope the anger would subside. But the anger remained, and so did the tremors.
He looked at the plate Bakura had brought. At last something to eat, but first he had to do something else. He turned to Malik, who was watching him with interest. "I'll go take a shower now. If you move an inch out of this room or the food is gone, when I'm back, then may whoever you believe in have mercy on you, because I won't." Mariku's tone was sharper than intended, but he couldn't control his feelings properly at the moment.
Malik frowned. He hated it when someone gave him orders. "Do you think I'm afraid of you?"
Mariku had to pull himself together not to attack Malik. "Don't provoke me right now, Malik." He did not wait for a reply.
Why did this shit keep happening to him? Mariku wondered, as he looked in the mirror. He touched his right eye. The twitching was getting on his nerves.
Mariku began to loosen his bandages. He had to be careful not to accidentally tear open the wounds again, especially now that it was so difficult for him to control himself and he barely had the patience.
He looked at his injuries: the bite wound on his arm was the least of evils. It had formed scabs and Mariku was sure it would be healed soon. Even his shoulder looked better now. The wound had closed already partially and the tissue had begun to scar over.
It was his back that worried him. The combustion was reddish-white, but it didn't blister at least. Gently, Mariku touched the wound and pulled his hand right back. It didn't hurt, but it felt disgusting.
Mariku undressed and got into the shower. The icy water cooled not only his body but also his mind somewhat. It was a pleasant feeling, as the water flowed down his back, but Mariku made sure that the water jet didn't hit the combustion directly.
Mariku didn't dare to put on a shirt, so he dressed only in a fresh pair of pants and picked up the bandages. He remembered that Bakura had said that these were the last ones and Mariku wasn't sure what that meant for him.
One would think with all the new technology that had been developed steadily, something old-fashioned, like bandages, were unnecessary. Sometimes, however, it was the simple things that proved to be the most efficient.
When he returned to his room, the breakfast dishes stood untouched. "You could have eaten." Mariku sat on the edge of the bed and put on socks. He felt calmer and the twitching was gone.
"I'm not hungry."
With a stroke, the anger returned. He gritted his teeth. That damn stubborn idiot! Mariku got up, took the plate and placed it with so much force between Malik and him on the mattress that some of the dough balls rolled onto the bed.
"Eat," he hissed at Malik.
Malik's eyes narrowed to slits. "No."
Mariku grabbed one of the dough balls and threw himself on Malik. He pressed Malik into the mattress and the balls against his lips. "You're eating now, damn it."
"Don't touch me!" Malik pushed Mariku from him with all his might and Mariku fell on his back.
For a moment, he saw stars. Although he felt no pain, he remained lying on the floor. He bit his lower lip. He really had to control his anger before he got himself into even more trouble. "Can't you just simply do what I say?" He said while he stared at the ceiling. "You know that I can't control myself at the moment." Mariku felt a dull throb in his back and pushed himself up.
Chewing, Malik looked at him and Mariku shook his head, sighing. "Why couldn't you listen to me from the beginning?" He muttered, looking at his back in the mirror. At least the fall didn't worsen his injury.
Mariku sat back down on the bed and took one of the dough balls. He didn't know with what they were filled, but it tasted sweet and delicious.
It didn't escape him that Malik was watching him, but Mariku tried to focus on the food. However, he felt the anger rising inside him and he was about to yell at Malik. Could Malik just stop staring at him? It was hard enough to pull himself together without the staring. He needed to let off steam before he said the wrong thing to the wrong person.
But Malik didn't look away and Mariku couldn't stop himself.
"Why are you staring at me like that?" He hissed.
Malik put the final dough balls in his mouth and chewed with relish, while Mariku clenched his fists and gritted his teeth. His nails dug into his palms, and he hit the mattress.
"It's interesting," Malik said eventually with a slight smile. He licked his fingers.
"What's interesting?" Mariku opened his fists. His palms were bleeding slightly.
"This anger." That smile turned into a grin and the grin made Mariku even angrier.
"You can have it if you want it," Mariku snapped and rather than hitting Malik, he grabbed the plate and threw it towards the door. The door slid open and the plate hit the wall. It didn't break.
Malik laughed and Mariku threw himself at Malik. He pressed him on the mattress and wanted to beat him, but Malik caught his fist and pushed him away. But this time Mariku didn't stop. He threw himself back on Malik, but Malik was clearly superior to him. Malik grabbed Mariku's chin and let him feel his claws.
"Careful," whispered Malik and licked his lips. He had fun provoking Mariku, and enjoyed his uncontrolled anger and the struggle he had against himself. Malik was sick of behaving properly. He wanted to see them suffer; every single person on this ship. They would pay for the indignities he suffered. In the end they would all beg for their lives.
Suddenly Mariku's hand was at his throat and Malik's eyes widened in surprise. However, rather than hissing at Mariku, Malik whimpered.
The door slid open and a clanking sound was heard. Mariku turned his head and narrowed his eyes as he looked at Anzu. With wide eyes and open mouth, she stared at them. At her feet lay the plate, Mariku had thrown out before, and a bundle of fabric.
Mariku let go of Malik. Immediately Malik slipped away from him and grabbed his own neck. He firmly pressed his lips together.
"What do you want?"
"I, I..." she stammered. Bakura had already warned her that Mariku was testy, but she hadn't expected to find him with one hand around Malik's throat. Also, the expression on his face made her shiver.
"I, I", Mariku mimicked. He could no longer restrain himself. He was enraged thanks to Malik. Mariku stood up and walked over to Anzu, who stepped back. She bent down and picked up the bundle.
"I've washed a few bandages." She put everything on the table and didn't let Mariku out of sight. Anzu put on a smile. "Can I do anything else for you?"
Mariku grabbed her arm and pulled her close to him. Her skin felt like jelly. Anzu made a high, surprised sound. She braced herself against Mariku's grip, but was too weak.
"You could stop staring at me." An ominous undertone swung in Mariku's voice. "Right now, everyone is staring at me and that's annoying!" His grip tightened.
"Mariku, you're hurting me."
"Oh, am I?" Mariku made no move to let go of her. He had totally lost control. He enjoyed the fear in Anzu's eyes more than he should. Mariku licked his lips. "Although, there really is something you could do for me." A grin, just like Malik's, appeared on Mariku's face. His index finger slid in Anzu's neckline and pulled on the fabric.
Anzu screamed Mariku got a load of hot water is his face. Mariku gasped in pain and pressed his hands to his face. "Fucking bitch," he yelled.
Footsteps were heard from the corridor, and in an instant Ryou was at the door.
"What happened?" Ryou looked from Mariku, who still had his hands on his face; his chest was wet; to Anzu, who stared at Mariku with wide eyes and a scared expression. "What happened?" Ryou repeated his question.
"Don't interfere, toad."
Ryou didn't know what a toad was, but Mariku said it with the same derogatory tone Malik used when he called him a slave. He gritted his teeth. "What did you say?"
"Bite me."
"Mariku, don't take it too far."
"Or what? You'll kill me?" Mariku laughed. "Come on, I'm shaking."
Ryou tried to punch Mariku and Anzu screamed again.
"Stop it!" Bakura came and dragged Ryou off Mariku. "Are you totally insane?"
Mariku wiped the blood from his cheek with the back of his hand. He had a long scratch on his cheek, left by one of Ryou's claws.
"Look, your lover has come to save you."
Bakura held Ryou firmly by the shoulder. "That's enough, Mariku."
Mariku made a sweeping gesture. "If I remember correctly, this is all your fucking fault." Bakura said nothing and Mariku stepped closer. He grabbed Bakura by the chin. "Isn't it? I'm your little guinea pig."
His voice had trailed off towards the end and he brought his face closer to Bakura. Their lips were almost touching.
"Well, now we have to live with the consequences."
Bakura pressed his lips together and avoided looking at Mariku. Mariku stepped back. Blood ran down his cheek and neck. "Now fuck off. I'm tired of seeing your faces."
Outside Ryou punched the wall.
"He's not himself, it's my fault."
Ryou turned to Bakura. "Indeed, it is," he snapped. "He's even more unbearable than before, but now he goes well with the Notechis scum."
"Keep calm," Anzu said.
Ryou looked at her. "Are you all right?" His voice was gentle.
Anzu clutched to her chest and pulled her shirt a little higher. She forced a smile. "Yes, I'm okay. Bakura's right. He doesn't know what he's doing."
"That's no excuse to behave like an asshole." Ryou walked into the cockpit. "Tell me something good."
"We'll reach Abulu soon. I already have it on the screen," Jonouchi said.
Ryou lowered himself into his chair. "Good, I can't wait to leave this damn galaxy." He looked at Bakura, who was still talking to Anzu at the door. He thought of the sex, and unconsciously licked his lips. He wouldn't mind more of it.
Quickly, Ryou turned his eyes away. He couldn't afford to be attracted to Bakura. Ryou sighed, and then looked back at Bakura. Their eyes met and Bakura gave him a smile. Again Ryou turned his eyes away and refused to look up until Bakura had left the cockpit.
With the washed bandages Mariku wiped away the blood and then pressed it against the scratch. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply. What had he done? He sank onto the mattress and stroked his hair. This was more than worse. How could he ever talk to Anzu again? But the rage was gnawing at him and tried to persuade him that Anzu was to blame for what happened. She had asked if she could do anything for him. Mariku bit his lower lip and shook his head.
"Who would have thought that humans could be so cruel?"
Mariku looked up. Malik ran his thumb over the tips of his claws.
"We have spent thousands of years slaughtering each other. This is nothing," replied Mariku and let the bandages fall to the floor.
Malik raised his eyebrows interested. He had never thought humans were a warlike race. His knowledge was limited and he had always imagined them like Cygni: weak and easy to control.
But right now Mariku behaved more like a Notechis. Malik had noticed how much fun he had frightening the Seire and provoking the Cygni.
Malik touched his neck. He hadn't forgotten how Mariku had seized him. Restlessly Malik licked his lips. He couldn't do anything against it. Malik closed his eyes.
As Bakura entered, both of them looked up.
"What do you want?" Mariku snapped at him.
"I wanted to look at your wounds."
"Get out!"
"Mariku."
"Get out!" Repeated Mariku, stressing each syllable. Bakura raised his hands in defense and left.
"You should have listened to him," Malik said as Bakura had left the room.
"What? Do you belong with the good guys now?"
"Don't be ridiculous." Malik grinned at Mariku. "But since when don't you anymore?"
Mariku gave him an annoyed glance. "Shut up!" He chewed on his lower lip until it split open and he could taste blood. Finally, he stood up.
Bakura looked up, as Mariku entered. He said nothing, and waited for Mariku to say something. Even from the distance he could smell how fast Mariku's blood circulated through his body. Mariku was tense and stressed. The aggression caused some strain on his body, and if the side effects wouldn't subside soon, they would endanger Mariku's health even more.
He heard Mariku take a deep breath. "I... I'm sorry." His voice was trembling. He looked at Bakura and made a helpless gesture. "Bandages?"
"Sure."
Bakura followed Mariku back to his room and looked at his back. "It's not as bad as it looks." Mariku didn't even flinch when Bakura sprayed him with the disinfectant. He felt a faint burn, but it was barely noticeable.
"Your shoulder healed well. Do you feel any pain?" Mariku shook his head. "That's something at least." He wrapped Mariku's upper body and shoulder. "That should be enough for the next few days."
"And how long will this side effect last?"
"I hope not too long." Mariku snorted and Bakura stepped away from him. He couldn't even say for sure whether the side effect was actually a side effect or not. He could have just as well messed with Mariku's nervous system, and that could get dangerous for Mariku. Bakura couldn't say how long his body would withstand the strain, even though Mariku had proved to be quite tough so far. Restlessly, Bakura's tongue touched the back of his teeth. He hoped it wouldn't kill him.
"You don't leave the ship, do you understand?"
"I'm not deaf," replied Mariku irritated. It took all his self-control not to turn on Ryou. It had been hard enough to not start and argument with Malik in the last hours. He felt imprisoned in his small room, which also darkened his mood.
"Will you be alright?" Ryou looked at Anzu worried. Anzu had become very quiet since the confrontation with Mariku.
She smiled weakly. "It's all right. Don't worry about me."
"I don't like it, to leave you alone with them."
"Honda is with me." She hooked up with Honda, who was standing beside her. "He will protect me." Honda didn't smile. His species was not capable of smiling, but the light in his eyes shined a little brighter.
Ryou turned his gaze on Honda. "If they make trouble, shoot them."
"Yes." Honda grabbed at the gun at his hip. It was the weapon that had been in the armrest of Ryou's chair. The only effective weapon they had.
Ryou wrapped a scarf around his head that covered the lower half of his face, and put on a hood as well. He turned to Jonouchi. "Are you ready?"
"As ready as I can be!"
Ryou rolled his eyes. "Just try not to annoy me, okay?" He turned back to Honda. "I hope we aren't gone more than two days."
"What are your instructions if you are gone for longer?"
"Take Mariku and the Notechis and follow us." With his hand he ran under the fabrics that covered his head, and stroked his neck. "We can't risk leaving them alone. In addition, I don't like to admit it, but the Notechis could be useful if there's trouble." He took a deep breath. "Come on Jou."
Mariku walked up and down the room and ticked off Malik with that. Malik stood up and walked past Mariku.
"Where are you going?"
"Outside." The door opened for Malik. "Wouldn't hurt you either." The door slid shut and Mariku gritted his teeth. He had no other choice but to follow Malik, after all, he was supposed to keep an eye on him. However, he still did not know how hot 600° Knar was. He ran after Malik. He would find out soon.
600° Knar was approximately 40° Celsius. Mariku shielded his eyes from the sun, or rather the three suns. They had touched down outside the city wall. The air shimmered and they were surrounded by sand. Mariku almost felt like home. The thought of home calmed him somewhat.
"What do you want?" Honda stood outside the entrance.
"I'm just following him." He pointed at Malik, who was facing the suns and had his eyes closed.
"Don't go too far away."
"Yeah," muttered Mariku and jumped into the sand. He could feel the heat through the sole of his shoes. Sneakers weren't the right footwear for the desert. It felt good anyway to finally get out of the spaceship and not having to fear for his life.
Mariku stood next to Malik. "What are you doing?"
Malik's tongue darted out of his mouth and he hissed softly. "What does it look like?"
"Can you not once give me a normal answer?" Grumbled Mariku.
Malik turned to him with a smile. It was an unusual sight and Mariku couldn't help but to smile as well.
"I won't make any trouble."
Mariku raised his eyebrows. "I can't believe that."
Malik shrugged. "Then don't."
He turned to the spaceship and under the watchful gaze of Mariku and Honda he walked closer to it. Malik looked at the ladder, which was attached to the outer shell. He jumped and grabbed the first rung. Without difficulty he pulled himself up.
"Hey! Come back down immediately!" Honda called after him, but Malik climbed further without responding to him. "Hey!"
"Leave him." Mariku scratched the back of his head and watched how Malik climbed the ladder and vanished at the roof of the ship. "As long as he's up there, he will at least stay out of trouble."
Malik stretched out on the metal and closed his eyes. He enjoyed feeling the suns and their heat after such a long time. He didn't know how long he had been on that space station. Eventually, he had lost all sense of time. It might have been months or years. He had missed the warmth.
Malik turned on his belly. Heat was something that his people loved. They needed it, not necessarily to survive, but they couldn't resist it either. Malik knew exactly what would happen to him if his body heated up, but even if he had wanted to, he couldn't resist the heat. He had almost gone mad in the darkness and coolness of the space station. He now took the risk of heating up.
Mariku sat on the steps that led into the spaceship and let sand trickle through his fingers. Every hour he walked a few laps around the ship to get rid of pent-up energy, and surprisingly it worked. Mariku felt much calmer. Nevertheless, he didn't like waiting. Ryou and Jonouchi were gone for hours. Mariku yawned.
Honda stood beside him and looked up every few minutes. They could see Malik on the roof. At least his arm.
"So," Mariku clenched his hand into a fist and opened it again, "how long have you been traveling with Ryou?"
Honda glanced down at Mariku. "60 years."
"Earth years?"
"If one Earth year spans 432 days, then yes."
A thoughtful expression appeared on Mariku's face. He was about to ask Honda how long a day was for him, but then decided against it. It would only be confusing, so he just calculated in earth years.
"Did you know him before you joined his crew?"
"No, I have come to know him thanks to Jou. He volunteered as a pilot and dragged me with him."
Mariku looked at Honda briefly, then up to Malik. "Have you been in the war?" Honda didn't answer him and Mariku was sure that meant "yes".
Sighing, he stood up and walked up the steps to the ship.
"Where are you going?"
Mariku looked over his shoulder. "Are you my babysitter?"
"Yes."
"I'm just going inside, okay? The heat makes me sleepy." That was a lie. He didn't feel tired at all, but he wanted to apologize to Anzu as long as he was calmed down. He couldn't say when someone would upset him again and he hoped it wouldn't be Anzu.
Mariku stepped in front of her door and was surprised as it didn't open. He knocked.
"Yes?"
"It's Mariku."
It took a while before Anzu said something again: "What do you want?"
"I wanted to apologize." The door slid open. "I didn't know you can lock the doors." He looked at Anzu, who was sitting at the table, one hand on a control panel. Mariku remained standing at the door. It was better if he kept his distance.
"I'm really, really sorry about my previous behavior. I didn't mean to hurt you and I didn't want to scare you." He felt horrible about hitting on Anzu so shamelessly. "I wasn't myself, but that doesn't excuse my behavior." He shifted uneasily from one foot to the other, while he waited for a response from Anzu.
Anzu sighed. "Sorry noted. Nevertheless, I would prefer if you stay away from me in the future."
"Ah, yes, yeah, I will." He raised his hand as a sign of farewell and turned away. And another person he was in disfavor with. He did really well. Sighing Mariku stroked through his hair. It could be worse. At least he had apologized.
Mariku went outside and sat down on the steps next to Honda again. He ignored his questioning look. Mariku looked up, but could not see Malik. "Where's Malik?"
"Inside." He underlined his answer with a nod of the head towards the ship entrance.
For a moment Mariku thought to follow Malik, but he didn't want to get up again. He stretched out his legs and leaned back. With his elbows, he braced himself on a higher step.
"So, how long has Anzu working for Ryou?"
Honda shrugged. "Longer than Jou and me. I've never asked."
"And you have shit like this happen often?"
"This is the first time," Honda said. "We had failing gears, lost cargo, solar storms, pirates..."
"Pirates?" Mariku looked at him surprised and interested.
"Of course, these bastards appear every time you don't need them." Honda's teeth grinding sounded as if someone walked over gravel.
They talked for a while about the space pirates until Mariku stood up and stretched. He looked up at the suns, which had indeed moved across the sky, but the light hadn't changed. "Does it get dark on this planet?"
"Every few years probably."
"Do you think they will come back soon?" Honda shrugged. "Well, I'll see what Malik is up to."
Malik was lying on the bed, face turned to the wall. He was hot and his breathing was fast. He winced as Mariku entered, but didn't turn to look at him. No, he had to leave. Mariku had to leave again immediately. Still, he couldn't speak and tell him to leave.
"Malik, are you alright?"
"Leave me alone." Malik's voice was hoarse and he was panting.
Mariku raised his eyebrows in surprise. What was it this time? Malik had curled up and his arms put around himself. "Did you get sunstroke?"
Malik hissed in response.
Mariku sat down beside him on the bed. "Are you not feeling well?" Against his better judgment he touched Malik's shoulder. This time Malik didn't attack him, but rolled from the side on his back. Malik's pupils were dilated and his face flushed. His tongue twitched uneasily out of his mouth. His chest rose and fell so quickly that Malik gasped.
"What's going on?"